Every parent wants their little one to go to the best school they can - but some schools are just that much harder to get into.
The very best schools can turn away nearly as many students as they have places to offer - while the most in demand school, Mercia, saw a staggering oversubscription rate of 121 per cent, meaning it had two Y7 children vying for every seat in class.
Meanwhile, one in 10 children in Sheffield were not offered their first choice of secondary school.
Figures show 89.02 per cent, or 5,978 pupils, were offered their first preference, and a total of 96.9 per cent of pupils got one of their ‘top three.’
Below, we've listed which Sheffield secondary schools were the most 'oversubscribed' for the 2025/26 academic year, meaning they were the hardest to get into for a place in Y7 for September.
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1. The hardest schools in Sheffield to get into for September 2025
These are the most exclusive schools in Sheffield that were hardest to get into for September 2025 by turning down the most children to fill their places. | see story
2. Mercia School, once again - 120 per cent
Mercia School was - once again - the most oversubscribed school in Sheffield for the upcoming 2025 academic year, and by a much higher margin than in 2024. It turned away 219 students to fill its 180 places - even more than the 177 it turned away last year to fill 190 slots last year. It also means it is more oversubscribed than ever by a staggering 121 per cent - three times more than second place on this list. That also means there were roughly two children vying for every seat in class for Y7. The parents that did get in will be pleased though - the school was last year ranked in the top three in the country for its Progress 8 scores. Mercia School was awarded an Outstanding Ofsted report in 2023. | Google
3. Newfield Secondary School - 40 per cent
Newfield Secondary School - also run by the Mercia Learning Trust - was the second most oversubscribed school in Sheffield for the 2025/26 academic year, after coming in eighth last year. It turned away 87 children to fill its 215 spaces for this September, an oversubscription rate of 40 per cent. The school made headlines in 2025 after pupils and parents protested against plans to cuts it provision of art and creative classes. | Google Maps
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4. Silverdale School - 29 per cent
Silverdale school turned down 71 children to fill its 240 places for September 2025. The school is one of the largest in Sheffield and snipped the ribbon on a three-storey classroom block in 2023. | National World/Scott Merrylees